Wangmene gets another year

Alexis Wangmene, the Texas post player who missed all but four games of the Longhorns’ last basketball season, will receive an additional year of eligibility after being granted a medical hardship waiver by the Big 12 on Monday. Wangmene will be classified as a sophomore next season.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Cameroon native averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds before being sidelined with a knee injury. He underwent surgery in December but is expected to be ready for next season. Wangmene was brought to the United States by Spurs general manager R.C. Buford, who is his legal guardian. Wangmene played two seasons at Central Catholic before attending Blair Academy in New Jersey as a high school senior.

Wangmene is part of what is turning into a crowded UT roster for next season. If senior forward Damion James, who has declared for the NBA draft but hasn’t hired an agent, returns to school and freshman guard J’Covan Brown is cleared academically, the Longhorns will have 15 players lined up for 13 scholarship spots. Earlier this spring, UT coach Rick Barnes said “those things sort themselves out.” With so many bodies around, some players might elect to transfer to another program in search of more minutes.